Abstract

The pulse beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) is the major and most destructive insect-pest of greengram seeds under storage conditions. Nine different plant based essential oils were thus evaluated for their deterrent effect on oviposition, adult emergence and seed damage caused by C. chinensis in greengram. Though all the treatments showed significantly lower number of eggs laid, adult emergence and seed damage as compared to untreated control but neem oil @ 2.5 ml/kg seeds was found to be most effective against C. chinensis. During the course of the study, it was also found that none of the treatments had apparently reduced seed germination even after four months of storage, hence, these botanicals can be used as safer alternatives to chemical insecticides for long term storage of greengram seeds.